Eye, Borg
by xiudin
Summary: Harry is inspired when he catches the tv show his cousin is watching.
1. Chapter 1

It happened on Harry's tenth birthday. He had finished cleaning the kitchen after dinner and was heading to his cupboard. His uncle had ordered him to go to his cupboard when he was finished with his evening chores. Harry knew that not going to his cupboard would lead to painful punishments, but his aunt and uncle were out of the house for a last minute business affair. They hadn't had time to get a proper babysitter, so they had sat Dudley in front of the television and let him watch his shows. Uncle Vernon had emphatically threatened Harry if anything happened while he and Petunia were gone. Mindful of the threat, Harry had finished the cleaning more quickly than usual. It was almost as if things were cleaning and sorting themselves as fast as Harry could think of them, but Harry knew better than to tell anyone about that.

Then, as he passed the stairs, he had heard the show that Dudley was watching. Harry knew he had time, and curiosity got the better of him, so he snuck up the doorway to see the show that Dudley was watching. He hadn't meant to watch for more than a few minutes, but the show had enthralled him. Harry had forgotten where he was and what he was doing when he felt the meaty hand take hold of his shoulder. His uncle had growled something low and mean, but Harry had been too shocked at his mistake to understand. He understood plenty though, when a fist knocked his glasses off his face and sent him sprawling onto his blanket under the stairs. Threats had been made, the door slammed and locks turned. Harry laid back and felt the wetness on his face. He looked at his hands expecting to see blood, but there was something wrong with his eyes. His vision was even more blurry than normal, and there was no color. His hands were an indistinct greyish blob, and they were covered with a brighter grey fluid. He hoped things would be better when he woke up, then he fell unconscious.

Harry panicked the next morning when he couldn't see. He fumbled for his glasses before remembering what had happened. He couldn't even see grey now. Everything was black. He held his hands in front of his face. Not even shades of black, he thought. Everything is just plain black. He thought about the night before. He had been stupid and got caught up in the show. It had been a great show, he thought. Humans and aliens living and working on a starship together. There had been some kind of robot person on the crew as well. They had been fighting another ship filled with beings that were part flesh and part machine. The machines, as Harry thought of them, had been very interesting. They were powerful. They could communicate with each other silently. They worked together flawlessly. It was this last bit that Harry found most entrancing. What would it be like to be part of a team like that? The humans and aliens had been lucky to escape.

Harry's thoughts returned to his present circumstance. What was he going to do now? What would Uncle Vernon do when he found Harry unable to see? Harry curled up in reflexive fear. Then he remembered some of the things that had happened to him before. He remembered running from Dudley and his gang, seeing the safety of the rooftop, longing to be safely up there, and somehow traveling to that safety. He remembered Dudley and his gang on the prowl, and Harry in their path with nowhere to hide. Harry had been too afraid to run that time. So he had frozen to immobility, closed his eyes, and prayed they would somehow not notice him. Fifteen minutes later, when Harry got up the courage to open his eyes, he had been surprised to find himself alone, hale, and Dudley and his gang nowhere in sight. He remembered his aunt cutting his hair, and he somehow regrowing it overnight.

The serious risk of the first two memories contrasted with the more frivolous threat of the last shocked Harry. Why had that memory popped up then? He considered for a minute or two, then realization shocked him again. He, Harry, had caused those things to happen. He had some kind of power. And if he could regrow his hair, why not regrow his eyes? But if he regrew his eyes, why make them the same weak things they were before? In fact, why not make them machine eyes, like the ones from the show? They had to still look mostly human, he thought. But green still. That was the one thing he had liked about his eyes. They would remain green, but with a slight metallic sheen and soft glow he decided. They would be much better than his human eyes though. He wouldn't need glasses at all. And he would be able to see things far away. And really tiny things, too. And they would shoot powerful lasers. Wait! That was comics not machines. But they would be able to help him communicate silently, the way the machines did. His idea for his new eyes settled, Harry concentrated on making them grow. He concentrated so fiercely, that he sank into a kind of trance and didn't notice the time passing. He didn't notice the noises his Uncle and Aunt made as they went about their normal routine the next morning. He didn't notice Dudley stomping down the stairs when he was called to breakfast. He didn't notice anything for three days.

Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had decided to leave the boy in the cupboard as a punishment the day after the incident. The day had been quite peaceful. The boy had made none of his normal ruckus. They could almost forget he was there, so they decided to leave him in there the next day too. After the third day, when there was still no noise or smell coming from the boy's cupboard, Petunia began to worry. She didn't want anyone to find out how they treated the boy. She knew the boy deserved it, but outsiders wouldn't understand. Besides, she was tired of cooking, and the boy needed to catch up on his chores. Uncle Vernon opened the cupboard door and bellowed at the boy to get his lazy bum out of bed and get to work.

Harry groaned at the noise of his uncle shouting at him. He reflexively opened his eyes and immediately shut them again and covered them with his hands. Why was it so bright? His uncle shouted at him again, so he lowered his hands and started getting out of bed. He kept his eyes shut and groped around for his glasses. His uncle shouted at him again, and this time Harry understood the words. "Your glasses are broken freak. You'll just have to do without for now. Now, get out of bed and make us breakfast. And you'd better hurry, or you'll make me late for work."

Harry groaned as his muscled protested the movement. Harry made his way to the kitchen and began making breakfast. It wasn't as late as his uncle had implied, so Harry didn't have to rush too much. He was engrossed in his task, and he was hungrier than he should have been, so Harry didn't note how well he could see. His relatives ate the meal like normal. Harry ignored his hunger and ate what little he was normally allowed. After the meal, Harry began cleaning like usually did. His relatives went about their usual activities, and no one mentioned the incident or Harry's punishment. His aunt and uncle noticed that Harry's lack of glasses didn't seem to be hindering his ability to do his chores, so they said no more about it.

Harry had finished his house cleaning and was weeding the flower beds when he began thinking again. He had lost himself in the normality of his chores and let his mind wander. Mindless chores had actually helped, he thought. They had given him the peace and quiet he had needed to recover. His aunt and uncle didn't bother him while he was working, and even Dudley had learned not to interfere with his chores. That was about the only rule his parents enforced on Dudley. Oh, they still punished Harry for allowing Dudley to interfere, but they also punished Dudley, if in a more civilized manner. Harry thought about what had happened, and then grinned to himself as he realized he had new eyes. He began to test them to see if they were the machine eyes he wanted.

Harry concentrated on the stem of the rose bush in front of him. The stem grew bigger and the world around him faded into the background. Harry was surprised to see the little bugs crawling around on the tree like trunk the stem had become. He was fascinated at the world that existed on this one part of this tiny little bush. He stared at the tiny little world around him while he finished his weeding. When he was done he went the hose to wash up. His aunt did not like it if he tracked dirt into the house. After he cleaned himself, he waited to dry before entering the house to start dinner. He looked around the neighborhood and was startled as distant scenes leapt into focus. He got dizzy if he turned too fast. He would have to work on this part, he thought. He moved his head carefully until he was looking at the park at the end of the street. He could see the individual leaves on the trees. He could see the blades of grass. He could see the grains of sand. He could see the children playing on the swings and climbing on the jungle gym. He could see the child sitting by herself on a bench between the parking lot and playground. He could see the tears falling from her eyes as she pretended to read. Suddenly, she looked up and stared back at him.

Harry almost looked away. He normally did not make eye contact. His aunt and uncle had taught him that freaks did not look at their betters. Freaks were to keep their heads down and try to avoid notice. Harry would have looked away, but he felt sadness and loneliness that mirrored his own feelings but did not seem to come from inside. As he stared into the girls eyes he those feelings were muted. They were still present, but they were being covered over by confusion and fear.

Susan wondered why she felt like she was being watched. She couldn't see anyone looking at her.

Huh, thought Harry. Who was Susan? Oh, Susan was the girl at whom he was staring. Oh, he had asked his eyes to help him communicate with other machines. Was Susan a machine? No, she had no thoughts of being a machine. And she couldn't see him. He wondered if she could sense his thoughts. Too bad, all he could sense was a slow increase in her fear and confusion. Wait. That meant he could sense human thoughts. Huh. Wait, that wasn't Susan's thought. That spike of excitement. It was coming from the van entering the parking lot behind Susan. They were after Susan. NO! Susan was nice. They could not have her!

Harry ran as fast as he could, running even before finishing the last thought. He didn't wonder how he knew that Susan was nice. He didn't wonder why he cared. He didn't think about the water still flowing from the hose he had dropped. They were after Susan, and he had to get there before they could take her. They were driving a van, and they were closer! He had to go faster! Harry began pop forward with each step as he focused on saving Susan. He was at the edge of the park when the van skidded to a stop behind Susan. The side door next to Susan opened and two figures clothed all in black jumped out and grabbed her. Susan screamed. Harry didn't notice the screams of parents, minders, and children at the drama unfolding in front of them. He noticed the spike of Susan's fear, and he gave one last great leap. He blurred across the park and crashed into the two men before they could drag Susan into the van. The men went sprawling, and Susan went flying. Susan flew away from the men and Harry, and crashed to the ground, hitting her head on the pavement. Harry felt the spike of fear, the confusion of the crash, and the pain of hitting her head. When she lost consciousness, Harry did too.

Some of the parents and minders stood frozen in shock at the scene before them. Others though, rushed to help. The two men rose from where they has fallen. They realized they would not be able to get the girl now. They scrambled into the van, and the van roared away over the sound of approaching sirens.

Harry woke up sitting in the back of an ambulance. The doors were open, and a young black man was examining him. Harry looked at the young man and felt his diminishing concern at Harry's apparent healthiness. The boy was scrawny. There was something a little off. But he wasn't bleeding and nothing appeared to be broken. "That was quite the brave thing you did lad." The young man spoke as he helped Harry sit up. "My name is David. What is your name?"

"Harry." Harry responded quietly and the young man shined a penlight in his eyes. Harry shied away from the light. "That's bright." He said plaintively. "Why are you doing that, David?"

"I'm a paramedic Harry. I'm checking your pupil reaction to see if you have a concussion."

"Oh, well, I feel fine. But that light is annoying."

David laughed at Harry's bluntness. Children could be the best patients or the worst. Lucky for him, Harry was of the former category. "Ok, Harry. I'll stop. I need your parent to sign the release before I can let you go though." David looked around, wondering why the parent had not shown up yet, missing Harry's flinch at the question.

"My parents are dead." David quickly turned his attention back to Harry at the sad voice. "I live with my aunt and uncle over there." Harry waved lazily at the street he had come from. "I saw the girl sitting by herself and thought she looked lonely. I left without telling my aunt to come and see her. That's when the men showed up and I tried to save her. My aunt is going to be so mad at me." Harry seemed to have forgotten about David. "Wait," he said suddenly focusing on David again. "What happened to her?"

"Your aunt?"

"No the girl. Did they get her? Is she ok?"

"It's ok Harry. The girl is fine. She hit her head when you knocked her away from the men. The men escaped in the van, but they didn't get her. She's been taken to hospital for treatment."

"Oh, good." Harry relaxed. "Can I go now."

"I'm sorry Harry, but I can't let you go without your aunt's permission. Do you know her phone number?"

Harry told David the number and settled in to wait as he called Petunia. Harry hoped she wouldn't be too mad, but prepared himself for punishment all the same.

 **oooOOOooo**

Petunia noticed the water had been running too long. What has that freak done now? She thought as she glared out the window. The boy was nowhere to be seen, but she could see the hose laying on the ground and water rushing out. She went out and turned off the water. Where was that blasted boy? Just wait til Vernon gets home, she thought angrily. What was going on over at the park? She could see the flashing lights of emergency vehicles and a crowd of people. Oh no, she paled at the thought. That freak is involved in this. I know he is. Oh, he is going to get it tonight. Petunia's thoughts of vengeance for the trouble the boy was causing were interrupted by the phone ringing. She put on her polite public face and answered the phone. Her eyes shown with anger, but her voice remained polite as she spoke with the paramedic. Running off after a girl indeed! Hero? As if!

Petunia went to the park and retrieved Harry. She was polite and pleasant as was required in public. She signed Harry's release and pretended to be pleased with his heroics. She could do little else as the crowd congratulated her on her nephew's exploits. If anyone noticed that her happiness did not extend to hugging the hero, well some families didn't act like that in public. If anyone noticed the timidity of the nephew, well he was probably shy and still in shock. The paramedic might have noticed, but he had been called to another emergency, so he left as soon as Petunia signed the forms.

Harry recognized his aunt's posture. He saw the truth in her eyes. He had broken the rule. Freaks were not to be noticed. He hoped his aunt would punish him when they got home. If she was really angry, she would wait for Uncle Vernon. Harry knew that would mean punishment for the act itself, and punishment for disturbing his aunt, and punishment for thus disturbing his uncle. His aunt was actually nice to him when they got home. She fed him and told him what a hero he was. He could see the truth in her eyes though. She wanted him relaxed when his punishment came. Harry prepared himself for the worst.

Harry thought he had prepared himself. He was wrong. His uncle had never beaten him that badly before. He had always been careful not to do too much damage. But really, being a freak in front of everyone at the neighborhood park. Obviously, his punishments had not been thorough enough.

Harry lay in his cupboard. His face was swollen. He was sure he had bruises everywhere. But his chest and back were the worst. Every position he tried to lie in was painful. He could barely breathe. He wondered if his ribs were broken. He thought he would probably be dead if he weren't a machine. Well, he didn't want to go through this again. He would have to fix his bones so they couldn't be broken. He would never endure this kind of pain again. Harry sank deep into his desire to heal and strengthen his bones so they could never be broken again. His breathing stilled as his trance deepened. He gave no thought to the bruises. His bones were the important part.

 **oooOOOooo**

Amelia cursed herself silently as she waited for her niece to awaken. The doctors had told her Susan was in no danger and would make a full recovery. Silly muggles. If they were at Saint Mungos her niece would already be healed. Still, they meant well. And it was her idea to try and hide out with the muggles. She couldn't believe that her enemies had used muggle means to try and grab her niece though. And who was the wonderful boy who had saved her? Amelia had come straight to hospital when notified of the attempted kidnapping and her daughter, oops, niece. She had been doing that more and more lately. She had raised Susan since her parents had been killed. It was almost ten years now. She couldn't help it if Susan meant as much to her as the child she never had. She had to find the boy and thank him. But first, she needed Susan to wake up, and she needed to be here when Susan did.

Amelia forced her thoughts away from Susan for a moment to consider who had been behind the attempt. She had been working with the muggle law enforcement since almost her entire family had been killed in the first war. She had thought it would be safer for Susan in the muggle world, and she kept her contacts open by liaising with the DMLE. She supposed it could have been muggle criminals behind the attempt, but she somehow felt that it wasn't that simple. She didn't have any evidence, but she felt sure that former death eaters had been looking for revenge. Hmmm. Well then, it was time to fully reenter the magical world. Susan would be going to Hogwarts soon, and she could help her daughter, niece, more if she could rise in the ministry. She would accept the appointment to head the DMLE that had been suggested. That decision made, she could take Susan out of here and obliviate the necessary muggles without distressing her career. Amelia turned to Susan, ready to apparate her to Saint Mungos, and Susan opened her eyes.

"Mum?," Susan questioned groggily.

Amelia grabbed her and hugged her desperately. "Oh, Susie, I almost lost you." The tears began falling as Amelia allowed herself to relax. She hadn't realized how tense the waiting had made her.

"Mum," Susan began, more alert now. "Did you see him, mum? Did you see who saved me? It was him, mum. It was Harry Potter!" She finished excitedly.

Amelia was overcome by her Susie calling her mum, so it took a moment to comprehend her daughter's words. Yes! Daughter! She thought emphatically. She pushed Susan back a little so she could look in her daughter's face. "Susie honey, can you tell me what he looked like?"

"Yes mum. I mean auntie." Susan stuttered a bit as she looked in her aunt's eyes.

"It's ok Susie." Her aunt encouraged. Pulling her back into the hug. "I feel like you are my daughter. You may call me mum if you wish. You don't have too, of course. We wouldn't want to forget your dear mother. But I think she would be happy that can give each other the love she isn't here to give." Amelia finished softly and hugged Susie a little closer. "Now, tell me about the boy."

"I was sitting on a bench reading my book. I started to feel sad, and I cried a little, then I felt like I wasn't alone. Like someone was watching me. I looked up, but I couldn't see anyone. I still felt like someone was watching me, and I couldn't look away. It wasn't scary though. It was like a friend I never met. I was starting to feel better when I heard the van squealing behind me. I turned around, and two men dressed all in black jumped out of the van and grabbed me. They started to pull me into the van, and Harry hit us. I don't know where he came from. I didn't see him before. But he was there." Susan had closed her eyes now, remembering. Amelia had been worried Susan would be too traumatized to talk about it, but Susan looked happy as she remembered her rescuer. "He was so cute, mum. His hair was all messy, but it was black as night, and it was gorgeous. He had these beautiful green glowing eyes. It felt like I was staring into them forever, then I landed and hit my head. Then I woke up here." Susan gave herself a small shake and looked at her aunt alertly. "Mum, is Harry ok? Where is he? I have to see him!"

"Shush Susie." Amelia said gently hugging her daughter again. "I don't know where he is right now, but I know he is not here in hospital. That means he's probably just fine and gone home. Don't worry. We'll find him. I have to thank him as well. He saved you for me." With that the two began to cry softly with each other for a few moments. Then they pulled back at the same time and smiled at each other.

"Come now," Amelia said. "Let's get you dressed and go tell Cordelia you're all right."

"Mum, I forgot all about Miss Cordelia. Does that make me bad? Is she ok?"

"She's fine honey. And no, it doesn't make you bad. A lot happened to you. I'm proud of you for handling it so well. Cordelia's waiting for us in the visitor's room. She feels awful that this happened on her watch. Now, let's go show her you're ok."

 **oooOOOooo**

Harry spent a week in his cupboard. His Aunt would open the cupboard in the morning to place a tray of food. She would retrieve the tray in the evening. Harry ate the food and concentrated on making his body stronger. He wouldn't allow his Uncle to hurt him like this again. Machines were better than that.

He was let out of the cupboard when the week had passed. He returned to doing his chores. He could feel his bones improving. The sun was scorching, and the weed were prickly and full of thorns. He needed stronger skin too. He still didn't get much to eat. Well, machines didn't eat either, did they. He just needed an internal power source like the machine that he wanted to be.

Harry concentrated on the improvements he wanted. He was feeling healthier though, and when he was no longer in constant pain, he began to feel lonely. His Aunt and Uncle had decided to ignore him, and they had instructed their son to do likewise. He got up each morning and was supplied with a minimal breakfast and a list of chores. No one spoke to him. He guessed that was all right, as machines didn't need to speak to the humans anyway. But he was still lonely.

At night, as he lay on his blanket in the cupboard, he remembered Susan's eyes. She had seemed nice for a human. Maybe it would be ok to talk to her.

The summer passed. Harry did his chores and grew accustomed to being ignored. He would dream of Susan often, but he didn't speak to another person the rest of the holiday. He was actually looking forward to going back to school as summer drew to a close. Even Dudley drawing a finger across his neck and eyeing Harry threateningly didn't stop Harry's anticipation. Machines needed knowledge, and Harry couldn't wait to get to school and spend as much time as possible in the library.

The school year went much as Harry had expected. Dudley and his gang were as vicious as possible at school, though they obeyed Vernon's and Petunia's orders at home. Harry tried to avoid the gang at school and spent as much time as he could in the library. After a few weeks of evasion and hiding, and failing and getting caught several times, Harry decided on a more efficient use of his time. He stopped running. He stopped hiding. Whenever Dudley and the gang would appear, he would drop to the ground and curl into a ball. He would take the beating, and when the gang was tired, he would uncurl and go on his way. He was covered in bruises, and his clothes were often bloody and torn. He didn't worry too much about it though. He had strengthened his bones and body to the point that he wasn't being seriously injured, just battered and bruised. He stopped worrying about beatings at home too, and he did his absolute best in school. He needed all the knowledge he could get to succeed in his quest.

Harry could ignore what was happening to and around him, but after a few months, the school officials and teachers could no longer do so. He was consistently bruised and bloody in class and in the library. His clothes were oversized, bloody, and torn. The headmaster called a meeting. The school officials decided to get involved. They watched and identified the perpetrators. They called a meeting with the perpetrators' parents. Vernon and Petunia were upset to have their family's dirty laundry aired in public. But it was too public for them to do anything drastic to Harry. They and the other parents made sure that Dudley and the gang knew Harry was to be ignored at school as well as at home. They could wait until school was out to extract their pound of flesh from Harry.

The school year passed quickly. Dudley and the gang couldn't touch Harry, but they could keep him isolated as possible. The other students soon learned that it was now de rigueur to ignore Harry entirely. Harry felt the loneliness, but enjoyed the freedom of being left alone. He tried to read his fellow student's thoughts and feelings like he had done with Susan at the park that time. It didn't work though. He could get snippets if he really concentrated, but he couldn't get the rapport and comfort he had received from Susan. He continually strengthened his body, though. He knew summer was coming. He also worked every day on an energy source for his body. He got a decent amount of food at school, but he was not allowed any food at home. He thought he might need to go all summer without eating. He still often dreamed of Susan. It helped keep the loneliness at bay. Even the machine on tv had had the companionship of other machines.

Summer was as bad as Harry had feared. But it wasn't as dangerous. He received his meal and list of chores every morning. He received his beating every evening. Vernon enjoyed causing him pain, but he obviously was wary of doing any long term damage. Harry only left the yard one time. He finished his chores and decided to go to the park. Dudley and the gang found him, isolated him, and beat him senseless. Piers wanted to leave him in the park, but Dudley figured it would cause too much trouble if Harry was found in that condition. So they carried him home and threw him in his cupboard. When Vernon came home, Dudley proudly explained when he had done. Vernon congratulated him on beating Harry and not leaving any clues. Dudley was learning.

Harry's violent and painful summer was interrupted when a letter arrived a few days before his eleventh birthday. He noted that it was addressed to Harry Potter in the cupboard under the stairs. He didn't get a chance to open it before Vernon took it. More letters arrived every day, but Vernon was determined that Harry not receive any of them. The beatings stopped though, and Harry was moved into Dudley's second bedroom. Harry didn't care about the bedroom, but he appreciated the absence of pain.

Vernon's frantic and desperate actions proved inadequate to the situation when Hagrid showed up. It was quite the storm, and the island cottage did not provide much shelter. Harry was quite curious about this new world Hagrid told him about. He was curious about his parents, and excited to go to this Diagon Alley the next morning. One thing was sure though, whatever Hagrid said. Harry wasn't a wizard. He was a machine.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

 **I am changing the rating from T to M. I don't think there is anything too explicit or graphic. But the story did take a turn to the macabre that I didn't plan on. So I am changing the rating just to be safe.**

 **Chapter 2**

Harry quickly assumed his machine mask when he and Hagrid entered the Leaky Cauldron. He didn't like the feeling of everyone gawking at him. He didn't think much of the stuttering professor, and he was glad when Hagrid finally opened the passage to Diagon Alley. Harry marveled at the various shops as he followed Hagrid through the Alley and on to the imposing building waiting at the end. He listened as Hagrid explained about Gringotts, the goblin bank. He paused and stared a moment at the first goblin he saw. He rushed into the bank after Hagrid. The wizarding world had aliens, he thought.

Harry tried to remain stoic in the presence of aliens. But he couldn't help a brilliant "whoop!" In response to a thrilling cart ride to his vault. He was pleased his parents hadn't left him destitute. He thought a little about how his new found resources would affect his new life as a machine. He filled a bag with some money from his vault and enjoyed the ride back to the surface after completing Hagrid's task.

Hagrid did not enjoy the cart rides. After they left the bank, he dropped Harry at Madam Malkin's to get fitted for robes. Harry did not think the unpleasant blond haired boy he met in the clothes shop would make a very good machine, so he ignored the boy's questions. The boy gave Harry a dirty look when he finally left the shop with his mother, but Harry just ignored the look as he had the entire conversation.

He was pleased at receiving a birthday gift, but he wondered what a machine would do with a pet owl. Oh well, he could take care of her while he thought about it. He bought as many books as Hagrid would let him. Machines needed all the knowledge they could get. He was disappointed though that he couldn't find anything about magical machines.

Ollivander was a very creepy man. Harry felt like he had waved a hundred wands around before the man handed him the one. Holly and Phoenix feather, eleven inches long. Ollivander made such a show of retrieving it from the back of a dusty old shelf. Harry could feel that the man wanted him to have this wand. That he had put Harry through some kind of initiation or something. Harry waved the wand. He almost laughed when nothing happened. Mister Ollivander had already begun speaking. "Curious." He said and then coughed.

"What is curious, Mister Ollivander?" Harry said, laughing to himself.

"Oh, I thought that might be the wand for you Mister Potter." Ollivander said with a cough. Harry thought the old man recovered nicely. "No matter, the wand chooses the wizard young man. We shall simply have to continue."

Ollivander continued handing Harry wand after wand. Harry continued waving them with no results. Hagrid slumped on a bench by the door. Eventually, Ollivander stopped. "I am sorry Mister Potter. I have never before been unable to match a wand to a wizard." He said, quite depressed.

Harry noticed that all the wands he tried were wood. A machine probably needed a metal wand. "Do you have any wands made of metal, Mister Ollivander?" He asked politely.

Mister Ollivander looked at him dully. "No. I am afraid that metal cannot be used in a wand, Mister Potter. I will have to think on the challenge you present. Can you come back another time?"

"Yeah." Harry said. He pulled on Hagrid's hand to wake him. "C'mon Hagrid. Let's go."

Hagrid looked up bleary eyed. "Alright then Harry? Ready to go?"

Harry nodded and left the shop. He and Hagrid returned to the Leaky Cauldron where Hagrid noticed the time. "Blimey Harry, I'm running late. We must have been in that shop forever. I'll just put you on the Knight Bus, and they'll see you home safely."

Hagrid called the bus. "Just tell them your home address, Harry." Hagrid called as he hurried away.

"I'm Stan." The conductor introduced himself as Harry stood there bemused. "Where to Harry?"

Harry smiled. He just had a thought. "I'm sorry, Stan." He said. "I just realized I forgot something." He took his things and got off the bus. "Sorry to be a bother." He said over his shoulder as he re-entered the Cauldron.

"Hey Tom." Harry greeted the bartender. "I forgot something in the Alley. Mind watching my things while I grab it?"

"Sure Harry." Tom agreed with a crooked smile. He would be proud to help the boy who lived. He stored Harry's trunk and owl behind the bar and opened the passage for him. Harry waved his thanks as he passed through.

He quickly made his way back to Gringotts. He felt he was right about needing a metal wand, and who knew metal better than goblins. He considered how to phrase his request as he waited in line for the next available teller. "Honored Teller," he began when his turn finally arrived. "I wish to speak to a craftsgoblin about creating a custom item."

The teller glared at him for a long moment. Harry glared back. The teller finally grinned, showing his sharp teeth. Harry glared back. The teller barked a command. "Longsnout, take this human to meet Grimtooth."

Harry thoroughly enjoyed the long, winding cart ride. They must have been miles deep beneath the earth when the cart finally stopped. The air was hot and heavy. A dull red glow illuminated the rough hall. The hall echoed with the clang of hammers striking metal over and over again. Longsnout pointed at the hall. "Down there Human." He rasped. "First door on the left."

Harry climbed out of the cart slowly. He flinched when the cart sped off without him. Trapped underground in Goblin Hell was not how he had pictured this adventure happening. He took a deep breath and sank into his machine mind. He sharpened his eyes as he walked down the hall. A door should be obvious in the rough hewn walls, but he wouldn't trust that it would be so. Even with his paranoia and concentration, he almost missed it. The shadow that outlined a crack on the wall was just a bit too dark. The protrusion of rock at a certain point had the slightest sheen of polish. He grasped the protruding rock and pulled. The door opened easily. An old, battered goblin sat behind a beautiful mahogany desk. Harry stared curiously. The desk was just so out of place. He couldn't stop himself. He laughed. The goblin looked up at the laughing human. "Yes?!" He snarled, showing all his teeth.

Harry couldn't decide if a goblin showing his teeth was a sign of annoyance or approval. I guess it doesn't really matter, he thought. "Master Goblin. I seek the one known as Grimtooth." He was proud to keep his voice firm and cold.

"You have found him, Mister Potter." The goblin growled.

Harry didn't bother with how the goblin knew his name. That wasn't why he was here. "I seek a wand, Master Goblin."

Grimtooth blinked.

Harry smiled, showing all his teeth.

"Is this a joke, boy?!" The goblin glared.

"No." Harry glared back. "I seek a wand. The wooden wands of Ollivander do not favor me. I seek a metal wand, Master Grimtooth." He thought he might be getting the hang of these goblins. He felt something like approval and acceptance coming from the alien in front of him.

"A metal wand has never been made, human." Grimtooth snarled.

"Thus my presence, Master Craftsgoblin. Do you accept my challenge?"

Grimtooth snarled, again showing all his teeth. Harry felt the creature's amusement. The snarl must be their way of laughter, Harry decided. "Yes human. I accept your challenge."

 **oooOOOooo**

"I'm sorry I'm late, Susie." Amelia called as she stepped out of the floo. Susan sat listlessly in a comfort chair turned away from the fire. It hurt Amelia to see her girl so dejected. She crouched in front of the girl and held open her arms. "Please Susie. I really am sorry."

Susan sighed and accepted her aunt's hug. 'I know mum." She said quietly. "I'm just so bored and lonely. Hannah's great. I just... I don't know..."

"We'll find him dear. You just have to be patient." Amelia said reassuringly.

"It's been a year mum. A year ago today, actually. We won't find him, will we?" Susan said with a resigned sigh.

"We won't stop looking, dear. He'll turn up eventually." Amelia stood and took Susan's hand. "You're growing up so fast dear. Why don't we go out for dinner and do a little shopping this evening?"

"Ok mum. Let me just wash my face."

The two of them flooed to Diagon Alley not too much later. They enjoyed a nice dinner. Amelia smiled and sipped her wine as Susan began yet another story involving Hannah. It was nice to see her smiling and laughing. She did have a bit of an obsession with that Potter boy. Not that Amelia could really blame her, she thought with a small frown. They had had no luck whatsoever finding the boy who had saved her Susie. It was like he had never existed. She brought her glass to her lips for another sip, only to notice it was empty. She set it back on the table and noticed her daughter had fallen silent as well.

"Off in the clouds again mum?" Susan asked, grinning playfully.

Amelia's heart warmed at seeing her daughter's apparent happiness. "Sorry, Susie. All done then?" She didn't wait to see Susan's nod. "Let's head out then. Gringotts, and then a lovely girls' night out."

Amelia and Susan took care of their business at Gringotts with no fuss. The goblins did seem to be unusually excited about something, but they didn't let their unusual garrulousness interrupt their normal tasks. The amount of Gobbledygook filling the air did make Amelia curious though. As they were leaving the teller and walking to the exit, the goblins abruptly ceased their chatter, and someone came flying out of nowhere and tackled Susan.

Amelia immediately grabbed her wand but stopped herself from actually drawing it forth. It was not wise to draw a wand while in Gringotts. Security in Gringotts was the province of goblins, and the goblins had not reacted to the violence. They were watching the spectacle and snarling, but Amelia had previously witnessed goblin reaction to an attack in their premises, and that reaction was normally swift and messy. They just watched and snarled as a boy attacked her daughter. Then she realized the boy was speaking, and she began to smile.

"Susan! It's you. I was so worried for you. David said you went to the hospital, and you'd be ok. But my aunt came and got me, and she wouldn't let me go back to the park. And I looked for you whenever I was working outside. But I never saw you. And I thought about you when I was in my cupboard at night. And you helped make the hunger go away. But I couldn't talk to you. And I wondered if you wanted to be my friend. 'Cause most people don't. But you were nice, and I hoped you would..." The boy trailed off. Amelia's smile faltered a little as she wondered at the meaning behind some of the boy's words. Then he spoke again. "Um, Susan, why are you laying on the floor?"

"Because some idiot tackled me." Susan growled, rolling over and pushing her assailant away. "Now get off me and tell me what you could possibly be thinking... Harry?" She paused as she recognized him. She had thought about little but him for the last year, and here he was. Before she could spend much time thinking, she met his eyes, his glorious, glowing, green eyes.

Amelia smiled again at Susan's anger, then frowned again when Susan fell silent. What the hell was going on. The bank patrons were all wondering the same thing, even if some of them were sniggering behind their hands. The goblins were still not interfering, even if their snarls had become annoying growls. And the boy, Harry, according to Susan, was laying atop her daughter. And they were staring into each other's eyes and not speaking, or even moving. It was all too surreal.

"Harry?" Susan thought.

"Yeah." Harry answered.

"Umm, what are we doing?" Susan thought.

"Communicating." Harry answered.

"By thinking?" Susan thought.

"Yeah." Harry answered.

"How?" Susan thought.

"I don't know." Harry answered. "I'm a machine. And machines can communicate with their minds. But you aren't a machine. So I don't know, unless you can be a machine like me."

"I don't think I'm a machine. I'm just a girl." Susan thought with a haze of confusion.

"Oh." Harry thought with a small tinge of disappointment. "Can we still be friends though?" He thought questioning and hopeful.

"Yeah." Susan thought. "We can be friends. But only if you let me up."

Harry broke eye contact and looked down. His face grew red when he noted that he was laying on top of the girl on the floor of the bank. He stood up and extended his hand. Susan took his hand and allowed him to help her stand.

"So Susan, Who's your friend?" Amelia grinned and winked as she asked.

"Muuum." Susan whined. "Don't tease."

But it was Harry's reaction that wiped the grin from Amelia's face. The boy froze in place, and his face assumed a mask of nothingness. It wasn't even indifference. She noted the goblins cease their snarling from the corners of her eyes, but the boy held her attention. "Harry?" She said softly, reaching a hand out to gently touch his shoulder. He flinched when she touched him. There was definitely something wrong here, she thought. He was gone before she could do anything else. He sprinted out the open doors and down the stairs. Amelia stood in stunned disbelief at how quickly the boy moved.

Susan stood quietly confused as Harry ran away. What did he mean he was a machine? And how could they think to each other like that? And why did he run away like that? Didn't he just ask to be her friend? When she could no longer see him running down the Alley she spoke. "Mum, what's going on?"

"I don't know, Susie." Amelia confessed. "Do you still want to do some shopping, or should we just go home?"

They decided to try and enjoy the rest of their planned outing. They didn't get to spend nearly enough time together anymore, and Susan would be leaving for Hogwarts soon. They were both distracted by the mystery of Harry Potter, though. Susan vowed to herself to find him and get some answers on the train to school. Amelia hadn't really believed Susan that Harry Potter had been her rescuer. Especially when her investigations had led her nowhere. But now she had seen him, and she had to admit that her daughter had been accurate. And given the boy's ramblings when he tackled her daughter, there was something wrong in Denmark. And Amelia would ramp up the investigation again. Especially since it appeared her daughter would be seeing a lot more of him soon.

 **oooOOOooo**

Harry sprinted away from the bank and back to the Leaky Cauldron. He yelled his thanks to Tom, grabbed his things, and headed out to the street to call the Bus like Hagrid had done. He breathed deeply a few times before calling the Bus. As his heartbeat slowed and his breathing returned to normal he began to think. Why had he run like that? The woman hadn't done anything to him. She hadn't sounded mean. So why was he so scared? What had happened to set him off? Ahh, Susan had called her 'Mum'. And the way she had said it. Whenever Dudley said 'Mum" like that, Harry knew to get away fast. Susan was nice, though. Maybe her mum wasn't like Aunt Petunia. He thought and a little smile crossed his face. His stomach rumbled. He still hadn't become machine enough to eat nothing, and he had had nothing to eat all day. He wouldn't get any food from his aunt and uncle. So he turned and entered the Leaky once again. "Hey Tom." He greeted the bartender sheepishly. "Do you think I could get some dinner before heading home?"

"Sure kid." Tom said with what he thought was a friendly smile. "Just grab an empty booth, and I'll bring something right out."

Harry shuddered a little at the man's smile, but he smiled back and hauled his stuff to an empty booth in a back corner.

Tom brought Harry some dinner then returned to his bar. He contemplated the boy as he cleaned his glasses and wiped down the bar. He had seen it far to often. A boy who didn't want to return to his family. They were usually muggle born. Harry Potter wasn't muggle born, but with Hagrid bringing him through, he was obviously being raised by muggles. And from the boy's appearance and actions, they were not friendly muggles. And then there was Hagrid. He was a nice enough bloke, but why of all people would he be bringing a muggle raised child to the Alley. The boy ate slowly. Tom had a lot of time to think. When the boy was finally mopping up the last of his dinner, Tom brought him a piece of pie. He set the pie in front of the boy and sat down across from him.

Harry looked at the pie and then up at Tom as the man sat down. He didn't eat immediately. He was a little confused. Why wasn't Tom scaring him away? No one had ever been nice like this before. What would the man want from him? Tom spoke softly, interrupting the boy's thoughts. "Go ahead Harry. Don't mind me." Harry blinked a couple times, then took a bite. Tom continued speaking while the boy savored the pie. "Not in a hurry to go home, eh Harry?" Harry nodded slowly, and Tom continued. "Seen a few boys didn't want to go home. A few have stayed here for a bit. Anyone miss you at home boy?" Harry shook his head. "Got a few empty rooms. You want to stay for a bit?" Harry stopped chewing. There it was again. Why was Tom acting like he cared? What did he really want? Hmm. Well, Harry was a machine, not a boy. And Tom didn't seem to know that. So Harry would probably be all right. He just had to keep his wits about.

Tom sat quietly while the boy thought. When the boy finally nodded Tom smiled his 'friendly' smile again. "Good. Finish your dessert, and I'll show you your room." Harry nodded and finished his pie. He shuddered a bit at the man's smile. He really should get his teeth fixed if he's going to keep smiling like that, Harry thought.

Harry lay on his bed. He had locked his door after Tom left. He was as safe as he had ever been, he thought. But he couldn't seem to relax. A soft hoot interrupted his musings. He started. He had forgotten about the owl. He looked at the bird. She really was quite a beauty. Could a machine have a pet? He snorted. Of course he could. He wondered if he could communicate with his owl. He needed to name her. Maybe she already had a name. He let her out of the cage, and she gently perched on his arm. He looked deep into her eyes and searched for her thoughts. He was suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling of love and loyalty. He sank back on the bed, his knees suddenly weak. He still held the girl on his arm. He whispered, somewhat bewildered. "You love me? Really?" His owl nodded and hooted reassuringly. Breaking eye contact allowed his brain to reassert itself. He looked in his owl's eyes again, this time prepared for the unfamiliar feelings. He whispered again. "You love me? You love a machine?" As the thoughts of machines and owls swirled in his head the story of Athena surfaced. "Athena? Is that your name?" The owl gave a slight shake of her head and an encouraging hoot. "Not Athena then. But related." He thought for a moment. Athena had a pet owl, Bubo. "Bubo?" Harry questioned. His owl stared at him derisively. "Oh, yeah. He was a he. And he was Athena's. And your mine, not hers." He thought a few minutes more as his owl silently supported him. "I've got it. Thena!" He felt a great burst of pride and acceptance from Thena. She hooted and barked excitedly and swooped around the room. Harry joined her celebrations. A while later, they both relaxed. Thena hooted toward the window. "You want out?" She hooted and nodded. "Oh, right. Nighttime. Hunting." He opened the window wide enough for his new friend. He lay back on the bed, now smiling broadly. He felt relaxed now, happy even. He didn't notice when sleep took him. He woke the next morning when Thena returned and hooted her greetings before settling herself for a morning nap.

As Harry was preparing himself to go get breakfast from Tom a strange owl flew into his room, settled near him, and held out its leg. Harry fished in his bag for his newly bought owl treats. He gave one to the strange owl before removing the letter from its leg. The letter was short and to the point.

 _Harry Potter,_

 _Your presence is required for the success of the project. Be here at 8am tomorrow morning._

 _Grimtooth_

Harry sat and thought as the Gringotts' owl flew helped himself to Thena's water dish then flew away. He decided he would stay in the Alley for at least today. He would have to talk to Tom about it at breakfast. Hunger roused him form his thoughts, and he hurriedly finished getting dressed.

Harry explained to Tom that he would be staying another day. He shuddered at Tom's happy smile. He had a big breakfast and returned to his room. What to do today? Right, knowledge makes the machine. He got his newly purchased school books out and began studying. Thena roused a few hours later, and Harry left his studies for a bit to play with his new friend. He stroked her feathers and thought about how nice it was to have a friend. A friend! Oh, crap! I hope Susan isn't too mad at me, he groused. Then Thena caused another realization. He could send her a letter. He pulled out some parchment and a quill and started writing. Good Lord writing with a quill sucked. He kept at it though, and soon finished his letter to Susan.

 _Dear Susan,_

 _I'm sorry about tackling you yesterday. I was just really excited to see you. And I'm sorry about running away. I panicked. Please forgive me and still be my friend._

 _I hope I see you on the train to school. I just started studying my books. Maybe we can talk about some of the stuff. I was raised by muggles. (is that the right word?) So, I have lots of questions._

 _The wonderful, pretty bird delivering this for me is named Thena. Please treat her well. She will wait if you want to write back._

 _I would write more, but writing with a quill sucks. I hope I get better at it._

 _Your friend (I hope),_

 _Harry_

When he finished he decided he should include a note to Susan's mother. He stressed for a bit about how to address it, but gave up finding a good way and just started writing.

 _Dear Susan's Mother,_

 _I'm sorry I ran from you and didn't even learn your name. I hope you will let me be Susan's friend. I promise to try and be better and talk to you when we meet again. I promise I would never do anything to hurt Susan. I'm sorry if I scared you when I tackled her. Please forgive me._

 _Your (Hopefully) Daughter's Friend,_

 _Harry_

He sent his letters off with Thena and returned to his books.

 **oooOOOooo**

Susan woke up feeling as though she hadn't slept at all. She couldn't stay in bed any longer though. The sun shining through the windows wouldn't allow it. She didn't emerge from the haze of exhaustion until she was eating breakfast. If one could call it breakfast this late in the day, she thought. As she was finishing eating a snowy owl flew in and settled on the back of a chair next to her. Susan cooed at the beautiful bird and fed her some bacon while removing the letter from her leg. She chortled at the messy scrawl and guffawed at the one addressed to "Susan's Mother." She didn't open that one though. Her mother loved her, but she had taught Susan not to pry into her mother's business. She laughed at the messy writing and ink splot filled parchment. She deciphered the messy writing and grinned to herself. There may be some strange things about the boy, but she was delighted to have him as a friend.

Susan called for Mipsy. She sent the house elf to get her parchment and quill. Before she could start writing, she realized she would need her mother's permission. She didn't want to mess anything up, and he had written her mother a letter also. "Mipsy," she asked the elf when she returned with the writing implements, "where is Aunt Amelia?"

"Mistress Amelia is being at work miss." The house elf answered, and handed Susan a note. The note said pretty much what Mipsy had told her, so Susan nodded her thanks, and the elf returned to work.

"Thena?" She asked the pretty owl. Thena hooted and nodded. "Mother is at work. Can you take her these letters and see if she has a response for me." The owl hooted and nodded again. Susan attached her note as well as her mother's. The owl flew away. Susan went to her room and opened her school books. She hadn't really planned on studying today, but if Harry was interested in this stuff, she should be too.

Thena returned a bit later with a note from her mother. She told Susan she would come home for lunch, and they would talk about it then. Susan read the note and sighed a little. She was grateful her aunt/mother cared for her, but she could be so overprotective sometimes. Then again, her interactions with Harry hadn't exactly been dull. She guessed she could put up with the mothering. At least her aunt/mother wasn't making her wait until the end of the day. She told Thena a reply would have to wait 'til after lunch. The bird hooted and barked and flew out the window. Susan smiled when she saw the owl settle on a branch in a nearby tree.

Susan returned to her books. She had started the day so late that lunch arrived quickly. She talked pleasantries with her mother while they ate. Amelia didn't like to discuss serious topics while eating. She said it was a necessary coping mechanism for the pressures of her job. Susan didn't understand exactly what a coping mechanism was, but she enjoyed talking about silly things with her mum. So she had gone along whole heartedly with the rule.

When they had finished eating, and Mipsy had cleared the dishes, Amelia turned to her daughter. "Well Susie, it seems the young man likes you." Susan could only blush and nod. She hadn't expected her mother to tease her like that. "There are some serious warning sparks around the young man. Are you sure you want to be his friend?" Amelia asked.

"Yes, mum." Susan said. "I know he's strange. But he seems nice. And I don't think he'll hurt me."

Amelia got a strange look on her face. "Did you read the note he sent me?" She asked.

"Of course not." Susan replied.

"Here." Her mother said, handing Susan the note.

Susan couldn't help but laugh at the boy. "He really is a mystery, isn't he?" She said.

"Yes he is." Amelia agreed. "You have my permission to write him. Just be careful." Thena flew into the room and took up her perch. She looked at the parchment on the table and hooted. "And he has a very smart friend." Amelia laughed and bent over her daughter to give her a hug and kiss her cheek. "Back to work for me, I'm afraid. I'll see you tonight."

"Thanks mum." Susan said, leaning over the parchment and grabbing a quill. "See you tonight. Love you." She said without looking. Amelia smirked to herself. Friends, she thought. For now maybe. I'll have to keep my eye on this.

Susan wrote a quick note to Harry. Thena was seeming a little impatient.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _Yes. We can be friends. Mum says it's ok. Just don't tackle me unless someone is trying to kidnap me._

 _I can't believe you live with muggles. (Yes, that's the word.) I thought you would have lived with a wizard family. I've started reading my books too. I'll answer what I can, but I don't know all that much. You have to answer my questions about the muggle world in return._

 _Let's definitely meet up on the train. I want to introduce you to my friend Hannah. You'll like her._

 _Thena is lovely and smart and looking at me fiercely right now._

 _Your Friend,_

 _Susan_

 _P.S. writing with quills may suck, but it's not that hard. You just have to practice._

 _P.P.S. You can practice by writing me another letter._

As Susan watched Thena fly away she heard a whoosh from the sitting room. She hurried to see who had just flooed in. She couldn't contain her excitement when she saw who it was. "Hannah! About time you got here! You'll never believe what happened!"

 **oooOOOooo**

Harry was quite happy with Susan's note. He studied the day away and couldn't keep the grin from his face. In the evening he wrote Susan a long letter. He set it on the desk when he finished. "Thena girl," he cooed to his owl, "I'm going to be at Gringotts tomorrow morning. After your morning nap, take this to Susan and wait for her reply please." He brushed her head and back gently, and she hooted contentedly.

Harry made sure to arrive at Gringotts with time to spare. A wild, fun cart ride later and he was in Grimtooth's office. "Master Grimtooth." Harry greeted the goblin with a short bow. "How may I be of service in your project?"

"Our project Harry. Now stop wasting time with that master _grokjtchik_." Harry didn't quite understand the goblin's curse word, but he recognized it as a fun word to add to his vocabulary. It was guttural and had lovely undertones that made Harry shiver. Harry paid rapt attention as Grimtooth continued. "What do you know, human, about goblin forged weapons?"

"Umm, nothing?" Harry replied. "Should I know something?"

"Of course you should. You have commissioned one after all." Grimtooth was gruff and demanding, but Harry could sense no anger. "Goblin weapons absorb the power of whatever they slay. This much is known to knowledgeable souls around the world. What is not known outside these halls is how these weapons are forged. You would not know." The goblin paused and stared at Harry with a gimlet eye to reinforce the import of his words. "You would not know," he repeated, "if we were forging a normal goblin weapon. You have asked for something never before done. The doing of which requires that we share with you this knowledge. This knowledge will not be shared with any being outside these forges. Is that understood?"

Harry stared at Grimtooth, unblinking, and snarled at the goblin showing all his teeth. It wasn't a humorous snarl like he had seen before. This was a serious snarl to show his sincerity. "I understand, Grimtooth. I won't tell anyone _gokjtchik."_

Grimtooth snarled appreciately at Harry's attempted use of the curse. "Well spoken Human." He growled and continued with the explanation. "The forging of an enchanted goblin blade requires a sacrifice." He paused for the inevitable question. But Harry surprised him with silence. "Because we are forging a weapon that must be uniquely bonded to you, you must be the sacrifice."

Harry considered for a moment before asking. "What is the sacrifice I have to give?"

"We will remove a rib bone, infuse it in the wand, and bathe the wand in your heart's blood." The goblin said simply.

For the first time in the goblin's presence Harry showed a bit of fear. "Won't that kill me?" He asked with a slight tremor in his voice.

"Possibly." Grimtooth's answer was not exactly comforting. "If I have crafted in error, or if you cannot withstand the pain, or if the wand does not find you worthy. But I never craft in error, so whether you survive depends on you."

Harry thought for a long time. Grimtooth stood by, unusually patient. Finally Grimtooth spoke softly. He had hear the rumors and stories racing around the bank. The boy thought he was a machine. The goblins found him funny. "Harry, I would not have agreed to begin the project if I thought we could not complete it. I see potential in you, young machine. This weapon will benefit you greatly in the years to come. I believe you are worthy of it. So the real question is, can you stand the pain?"

Grimtooth's words resonated with Harry. He was a machine. And he had withstood a lot of pain in his short life. Surely he could handle this. "Ok Grimtooth." He snarled. "When do we sacrifice me?"

"Now Harry." Grimtooth said. "Remove your clothing. We must be purified." Grimtooth began removing his own clothing.

Harry undressed. He wondered for a moment why he felt nothing wrong or weird about getting naked in the middle of a goblin's office. He guessed modesty really wasn't important when you were a machine working with aliens on a magic weapon.

He followed Grimtooth out of the office and down the hall to the forges. The forge cavern was magnificent. It was huge, at as big as a football field. The rock ceiling loomed high overhead. The cavern was filled with a warm orange glow. There were several forges spread throughout the cavern. They seemed to be filled by molten rock. Streams of it ran in little rivers. There were three great pools of it spaced through the center of the cavern. The heat and humidity should have been suffocating. It should have smelled like Hell. But Harry felt nothing but a light cool breeze on his face. The air smelled of cooling and oiled metal. Harry supposed that was a pleasant smell for a goblin. The air was filled with red and yellow sparks and the ringing of hammers striking metal.

Grimtooth led him through the cavern to a small passageway tucked into a shadowed corner. They passed under and through a few miniature waterfalls. The passageway opened to a small chamber, in the middle of which stood a stone altar. The chamber glowed a lava red tone, but Harry could see no source for the light. The altar was heavily carved and inlaid with precious metals and gemstones. Grimtooth led him to the altar and laid him across the stone. It was cool on his back and strangely comfortable.

Grimtooth ran a rough and calloused hand gently down Harry's face then laid in on Harry's chest and began to chant. Other goblin voices joined the chant as six other naked goblins entered the chamber and took up stations around the altar. The chants grew deeper. Energy filled the chamber. The red glow intensified. Harry began to scream.

Harry's screams died as he lost the ability to draw breath. The skin of his chest bulged and then tore as a rib bone was pulled free. Grimtooth almost lost the chant at the sight of the bone. The boy might not have been all bluster about being a machine. The bone had a metallic sheen and it was filled with magic. He caught himself and continued the ritual. He was a professional. And this would be one of the most marvelous creations in goblin history.

Several more goblins entered the chamber. One bore two halves of a metal wand. The others stood in an outer circle around the original goblins and began a healing chant. Blood poured from the boy's exposed chest cavity. The two halves of the wand the rib bone rose in the air, lifted by tendrils of magic. The metal halves joined around the bone and the three fused into one. The goblins' chanting continued unabated. Grimtooth stretched forth a hand, took the newly formed wand, and stabbed it into Harry's heart.

The goblins ceased chanting. Blood flowed and sprayed across the chamber. The moment of truth was at hand. Had the work been performed properly? Would the sacrifice be accepted? The goblins stood still as stone and silent as the grave while they waited for judgment. A fountain of red sprayed from Harry's chest. The fountain slowed. The goblins waited. The forging of a weapon was always tense, but it had been done many times before. This time was different. The goblins didn't dare breathe until the wand embedded in Harry's heart began to glow.

The wand glowed bright and pure. White light flooded the chamber. Grimtooth used both hands to grasp the wand and tug it as gently as possible from Harry's chest. When it was clear, he lovingly placed it in Harry's hand. Tears filled Grimtooth's eyes as he exchanged nods and tooth filled growls with his fellow goblins. It truly was a beautiful weapon. It had been an honor to be a part of its creation.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hannah! About time you got here! You'll never believe what happened!" Susan yelled in excitement as Hannah cleaned the mess made from the floo. "Come on! I've got so much to tell you." Susan continued, grabbing her friend's hand and pulling her along.

Hannah sighed to herself as she followed Susan. She loved her friend, but Susie got that excited about only one thing. She prepared to show the appropriate amount of enthusiasm about the latest Harry Potter news so she could change the subject as soon as possible. She listened to Susie's story about being tackled at Gringotts and read the letters to Susie from the boy in question. She tried to hide her reaction to the story and letters. She and Susan had been raised on stories of the Boy-Who-Lived. Almost every other child in the wizarding world around their age had been similarly enthralled by tales of the boy hero. Then Susan had been whisked off to the muggle world by her aunt. Contact between the two girls had been sporadic and mostly by letter for a few years. Hannah and Susan missed the close friendship they had but they had begun to drift apart. Hannah grew tired of Harry Potter and tried to move on, but Susan had latched on to the boy hero as a lifeline back to the world of magic. Hannah sometimes chastised Susan. She tried to help her friend see that those stories couldn't possibly be true, and were at best gross exaggerations. Then someone had tried to have Susan kidnapped. And some boy had saved her at her moment of greatest peril and promptly disappeared. Susan claimed the boy rescuer was none other than her hero Harry. Hannah was excited to think that Harry Potter might be real after all, but when no evidence of the boy was found she again convinced herself that his stories were nothing but romantic tripe. Yes, someone had saved Susan, but that didn't mean that Harry Potter was that someone. And Susie was too enthralled by the legend of Harry Potter to be considered a reliable witness. Especially after having her head hurt during the rescue.

Hannah tried to contain her friend's enthusiasm. She wouldn't want Susie hurt again. But she had to admit that this was exciting news. And this time there was no doubt about the presence of Harry Potter. Not only that, but Harry himself had confirmed that he was Susan's hero from the attempted kidnapping. Hannah found herself accepting Susan's enthusiasm and soon she was trading speculations and exhortations at the same level as her best friend.

Neither girl slept well that night. Amelia allowed them to share a bedroom, and they had stayed up half the night. Amelia entered the bedroom the next morning and kissed Susan on the forehead. She laughed at Susan's grumbled "five more minutes." She kissed Hannah's forehead as well, and laughed again when the girl responded with the same tone and words as Susan had used a moment before. "Fine girls." She said as she left the room. "I'll see you at dinner."

The girls were enjoying a late brunch when Thena arrived. Susan quickly took the letter and began reading. Hannah stoked the bird's plumage and offered her a bit of bacon while Susan was occupied. Susie finished reading with a happy smile. "Well?" Hannah questioned.

"Harry says he wants to meet you. I told him you were my best friend. You can read it if you want." Susan handed Hannah the letter. She took over Thena duty while Hannah read. "Harry says you're going to stay with us for a bit." She cooed at the owl. She blinked when Thena hooted cheerfully and bobbed her head up and down. "Do you need anything?" She asked politely. Thena barked sharply, swung her head from one side to the other, affectionately nipped at Susan's finger, and flew out the window to her favorite perch on a nearby tree.

Hannah finished reading and set the letter back on the table. "He certainly asks a lot of questions." Hannah said.

"Yep." Susan answered, pursing her lips to pop the end of her answer. Hannah glowered, and Susan smirked. "C'mon." Susan coupled action to her command and grabbed Hannah's hand to pull her from the kitchen

"Where are we going?" Hannah asked as she let herself be pulled along.

"To the library. We need to study if we're gonna answer Harry's questions."

oooOOOooo

Harry groaned as consciousness returned. Grimtooth hadn't been lying about the pain. He ran a hand over his chest and was surprised to feel smooth skin. He couldn't feel a scar or anything that might indicate he had had a rib bone torn from his chest. He lifted the thin blanket that was covering him and looked to see if his fingers were lying to him. He was happy to see his touch confirmed. His skin looked entirely normal. Breathing still hurt though, he thought as he laid back on the bed he was in. He looked around as well as he could without moving his body. It was a small room, only big enough for the small bed he was in and a chair next to the bed. The furnishings were drab but comfortable from what Harry could tell. The colors, muted. A bell chimed softly in the background. Harry let his head return to rest and closed his eyes. He was asleep in moments.

He woke the next time to the guttural growl of goblin voices. He listened for a few minutes before sitting up. He was still in the same room. There were two goblins near the entrance speaking rapid gobbledygook to one another. One left and the other turned to Harry. "You finally awake, human. Now leave."

Harry nodded, got out of bed, and began putting on his clothes. "How long?" He asked the watching goblin.

"Two weeks."

" _Gokjtchik_." Harry swore. He heard the goblin growling as it left. Good. He was getting the hang of that word. Right. Two weeks. It could have been worse, he supposed. Hopefully Thena was all right. He collected his things. He picked up his wand last. It truly was a thing of beauty. Harry didn't know if machines cared about beauty. But he thought it was anyway. The metal was shaped in a spiral groove along the entirety of its length. He couldn't see or feel any seam or joining. It started about the size of two fingers and tapered to a fine point. Not too sharp. No one would mistake it for a knife. It fit in his hand perfectly. It glimmered softly silver with occasional flashes of iridescence. It looked like it should be somewhat slippery, but it didn't feel that way. He felt a rush of pleasure when he held it. He could feel his power surging and swirling between him and his wand. It was perfect. He was very pleased to find the goblins had provided a beautifully tooled, dragon hide wrist holster for his wand. He quickly strapped it on and played with holstering and drawing his wand for a few minutes. One thing was sure, he thought, magical aliens were very good at their crafts.

Harry returned to the Leaky Cauldron. He was pleased to find Tom had kept his room. Apparently it wasn't the busy season. Whatever that was. Once back in his room, he pulled out his books. He had lost two weeks of time he could have been learning. It was well worth it though, he thought, as he looked at his wand fondly. Thena arrived not long after he had settled. She had rather a large bundle of letters with her. She hooted and nudged his head affectionately with hers as he relieved her of the bundle. "I missed you too, girl." Harry said. "But I had to do it. And look." He held up his wand for her to examine. "Isn't it wonderful?" Thena barked. "Yeah, not as wonderful as you." Harry agreed. He opened the bundle of letters. One of them had written across it in large bold letters. " **READ ME FIRST!** "

Susan was a bit upset. Ok, more than a bit. She was downright angry, if her latest missive was anything to go by. Harry thought about it. Machines were supposed to be more logical. But she had said she wasn't a machine. Maybe he could convince her to become one like him. He enjoyed the idea of her as a friend. But he wasn't as happy about being scolded. He decided to ignore the last letter, and started reading the rest. The first few were filled with answers to his questions, questions for him, and fun snippets from Susan's friend Hannah. After reading them, Harry felt much better about Susan and looked forward to meeting Hannah. He wrote them an answering letter telling them that.

Harry decided to spend the remainder of his summer at the Leaky Cauldron. He enjoyed exploring Diagon Alley, studying his textbooks, and exchanging letters. He had begun writing Hannah separately from Susan. Both because his two new friends had separated to their own homes, and because it was fun to have more than one friend. He thought Hannah would make a fine machine with him and Susan. He splurged the first couple of days. He bought some clothes that fit. He figured machines should be covered properly, and not sloppily. He ate the wonderful food provided by Tom, and enjoyed afternoon ice creams with Florean. He had to remind himself that it didn't matter if food was now plentiful and tasty, machines still didn't need it. He worked at limiting his food intake and building his body an alternate source of energy. He couldn't be held too much to account if he occasionally fell from the wagon. Afternoon ice cream was just too enjoyable.

Before he knew it, the summer had passed, and September the first had arrived. He said goodbye to Tom, Florean, and the others from the Alley he had come to know. He made his way to King's Cross and Platform Nine and Three Quarters. He passed through the barrier. It worked just the way Susan and Hannah said it would. The scarlet train was enticing. He looked around excitedly for Susan. Hopefully, Hannah would be with her.

She must have seen him first. She was waving at him when he finally found her. Her mother was standing next to her, talking to two other adults. A blonde haired girl stood next to Susan and waved at Harry as well. That must be Hannah. He thought. And those adults are probably her parents. He took a breathe to fortify himself. No panicking this time, he told himself severely. He pasted a grin on his face and dragged his trunk over to meet his friends.

Susan's mum greeted him and introduced the other two adults. They were indeed Hannah's parents. They greeted Harry as well. The adults stayed calm and reserved, and didn't invade his space. He relaxed a little. Susan jumped on him and gave him a big hug. That was alright. It felt good actually. Hannah gave him a smaller hug when Susan finally let him go. They said their goodbyes to the adults and boarded the train.

They quickly found an empty compartment, and Harry helped the girls stow their trunks on the overhead rack. Harry sat next to the window and watched the commotion of parting families and squawking pets. Susan sat next to him. He didn't notice the possessive look she gave him, but Hannah did as she took the seat opposite Harry and turned to look out the window as well. Hannah smiled softly but couldn't help feel a bit jealous. It seemed her friend had found a white knight. The fact that he was mostly oblivious to it all just made it even sweeter. 'Stop It!' Hannah thought to herself. 'I've got to cut back on those books. He's just a boy.'

Harry's attention was drawn from the window by Hannah's stiffness and momentary scowl. He concentrated for a second and felt her anger. Maybe he could machine talk to her like he did to Susan. He smiled and leaned forward to look in her eyes when he was distracted by the sound of someone speaking his name. Whoever it was, they were very loud. He turned back to the window and scanned the platform. His attention was drawn to a family of redheads. There were four boys. One older. A pair of twins. And a younger one. There was also a younger girl with them, it appeared. It was the mother who had distracted him. "Are you sure none of you saw him on the other side?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Dumbledore said he would need our help. You boys look for him on the train and make sure he's ok. And tell me as soon as you find him." The train whistle interrupted her diatribe. The platform was rapidly emptying, and her boys were sent scrambling to board the train.

Harry returned his attention to the cabin. Susan was pressed up next to him, leaving a fair gap of empty seat. It felt nice. He didn't think about it too much. He just reached out and took her hand in one of his. She sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. He noticed a scowl flash across Hannah's face and felt her anger spike again. "Hannah." Her eyes snapped to meet his at his firm tone. "I want to be your friend. I need to talk to you. To the both of you actually." Her scowl softened to an almost smile and he felt her anger dissipate. "Unfortunately, I believe we are about to receive a cavalcade of Harry Potter seekers. I would like to avoid it as much as possible." He let go of Susan's and hand and gently pushed her aside so he could stand. He quickly pulled a spare robe and cloak from his trunk. He returned to his seat, rolled up the robe and placed it against the window. He leaned his head on the rolled robe and spread the cloak over his body. "For now, I'm your friend James who was up a bit late last night." He smiled at both of them, and received a couple of puzzled smiles in return. "Cover for me." He finished with a wink and pulled the cloak over his face. He began to snore softly. Hannah snorted. Susan giggled.

He wasn't a moment to soon. The cabin door opened abruptly. A head topped with a mess of red hair poked in. "Have you seen..." He began.

"Quiet!" Hannah hissed, interrupting the redhead. "Can't you see our friend's asleep."

"Sorry." The boy said, only slightly dropping his voice. "Have you seen..."

"No." Hannah interrupted him again. She smiled coldly. Harry, peaking at the girl from under his cloak, interrupted his snores to stifle a snort. "We haven't seen. Now quit bothering us."

"I just..." The boy tried to insist.

"Goodbye." This time it was Susan interrupting the boy. She wasn't any friendlier than Hannah had been.

The boy's face flush and his eyes narrowed. He pulled his head from the doorway and slammed the door shut.

"Ohh, you two are so mean." Harry teased from under his cloak.

Susan giggled. Hannah huffed. Harry eased the cloak from his head. "Hannah?" He asked.

"Talk." Hannah demanded. Her face was clouded and the scowl was back.

Harry had hoped to talk about whatever had been bothering Hannah today. She had always been kind in her letters. He had thought they were becoming friends, like him and Susan. Or even like her and Susan. Looking at her now, and feeling her anger, he feared that talking would not be enough. He dropped the cloak and sat up. "Susan, would you try and make sure no one interrupts us?" He asked Susan, squeezing her hand.

"OK. I'll do my best." Susan replied. She moved over next to the door and readied her wand. She didn't know a lot of spells, but she was determined to do what she could.

Hannah was now looking a bit puzzled, but Harry could still feel her anger. Harry took her hands in his. "Hannah, look at me." He focused his eyes on hers when she did as he had asked. He hadn't really tried to communicate this deliberately before. It had usually just happened.

 _"Hannah? Can you hear me?"_ He thought. He focused on pushing his power into her mind.

" _Harry?"_ Her response was faint, but it was there. Harry latched on to it and pulled.

" _Hey Hannah. Now what's got you so upset? I thought we were gonna be friends."_

 _"Harry?"_ Her anger was fading. Disbelief was rising.

" _Yeah. This is how machines communicate. I talked to Susan like this at the bank. Right now I have to look into someone's eyes to really talk, but I'm working on it."_

 _"You talked to Susan like this?"_

 _"Yeah. And now I'm talking to you. So what's wrong? Why are you so angry all of a sudden? You were so nice in your letters."_

Now disbelief and anger were all but gone, and embarrassment was surging. _"I... I'm just... I'm sorry."_

 _"Hannah, I want to be friends with you and Susan. But something's wrong. You can tell me. No one else has to know. I won't even tell Susan if you don't want to."_

 _"It's embarrassing, Harry. I didn't want to be angry. I was just fine when we were writing letters. But I got jealous all of a sudden."_

 _"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take Susan from you."_

 _"No not that. Well maybe a little. I was jealous of Susan being closer to you than I was. It doesn't make sense. I didn't want to feel that way. I've never been jealous before."_

Harry and Hannah were jolted out of their connection when Susan fell backward into Harry. Harry looked up to see a pale, blonde haired boy standing nearby and extending his hand. Two hulking boys stood in the cabin doorway. Harry was still disoriented and only caught the end of whatever the boy had been saying. '… show you the right sort."

Harry ignored the boy. "Susan, are you alright? What happened?" He asked, as he helped her to stand.

Susan straightened her robe and retook her seat. The blonde boy's face reddened in anger at being ignored and he retracted his outstretched hand. Susan claimed Harry's hand and pulled him down next to her before speaking. "I'm fine, Harry. Lot's of people looked through the windows." She huffed. "Nosy gits. But at least they moved on when I refused to open the door. Then these three showed up. Draco here," she waved at the blonde boy and continued, "ordered his two minions to open the door. And the lummoxes knocked me over when they forced their way in."

Harry disengaged his hand from Susan's, patted her hand, rose to his feet and looked the blonde boy in the eye. He stared for a moment before moving on to the two lummoxes. Draco opened his mouth a couple times, but closed it without speaking. Harry's eyes glowed a dangerous and disconcerting green. Susan and Hannah watched Harry with curiosity, but neither interrupted the proceedings. Harry finally stepped beck to the center of the compartment. "You two," Harry said, indicating the lummoxes, "have potential. But following orders is not an excuse for poor behavior." He then turned to the blonde boy. "Draco, was it? You do not appear capable. Maybe if you work at it." With that Harry returned to his seat. He leaned in to whisper something in Susan's ear. She smiled and slid over to the inside edge of the seat. Harry followed her, settling in the center. Then he held his free hand out to Hannah. Hannah's smile lit up her face as she took Harry's hand and settled in the seat next to him.

Draco and the lummoxes watched with confusion, and a nice bit of anger on Draco's part. Harry, Susan, and Hannah looked surprised to see the three boys still in the compartment after they had settled next to each other. "Are you three still here?" They asked in unison. Draco turned and shoved his companions out of the compartment. There was something off with Potter. And he had apparently infected Bones and Abbot. Abbot was a half-blood like Potter. Bones was a pureblood, but her family was dangerously close to blood-traitor status. He would have to inform his father.

Susan closed the compartment door and settled back in her seat with a smile. She played a little with Harry's hand. She noticed Hannah doing the same thing with Harry's other hand. She thought that would bother her, but she didn't seem to care. In fact, she thought it was a good thing. She raised her gaze to meet Hannah's eyes. Hannah looked deliberately down at their hands then back up at Susan. Seeing Susie's answering half-smile and feeling the warmth of Harry's hand, she decided to speak. "I was jealous. And I didn't understand why. I still don't. But this feels right." She held up her and Harry's entwined hands as she finished. "And I don't feel jealous anymore. Just happy."

"Me too." Susan said. "I see you holding Harry's hand, and I think I should be angry. But I'm happy instead. And why are we so clingy all of a sudden? We haven't ever been like this before."

"I'm certainly not complaining." Harry broke in. "But I've never felt this way about anyone before. I really enjoyed writing letters this summer. And I wanted to be friends. But this does seem strange." The three sat quietly for a moment before Harry spoke again. "We may need to try and figure out what's going on. This makes me happy though. I don't want to mess it up."

"Me too." "Me either." Susan and Hannah said at the same time. The three looked at each other, grinned, and began laughing.

Their laughter was interrupted when the compartment door was opened once again and a sandy haired boy poked his head in. "Have any of you seen a toad?" He asked, his voice almost too quiet to be understood.

"Come in here and comport yourself properly Neville." Susan commanded. "What would your Gran say?" Her voice was harsh, but Harry felt nothing but playful affection from her.

The boy straightened and entered the compartment. He grinned as he noted the compartment's occupants. "And what would your Aunt say if she saw you holding hands with a boy, Sue." He said cheekily. "Hi Hannah. I see your hand is occupied as well."

"Hi Neville." Hannah said. "You should be so lucky. Now have a seat and tell us what's going on."

"Umm," Neville temporized and hung his head. His shyness returned. "I can't. I'm looking for my toad."

"Nonsense." Hannah said. "Sit down and talk to us. We're like a zoo exhibit here. Sooner or later a prefect will poke their head in and we can ask them to summon it for you."

"Oh." Neville said as he obeyed Hannah. "I didn't think of that. Some wizard I am." He looked at the dark haired boy seated between the two girls.

"Sorry." Susan said, noticing Neville's gaze. "Neville, this is Harry." She held up their joined hands. "And Harry, that is Neville."

"Hi." Harry said. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too …" Neville's voice trailed off as he noticed the scar on Harry's forehead. He stared for a moment then opened his mouth to ask the inevitable question. His eyes locked on faintly glowing green eyes before he could speak.

" _Neville?"_ Harry asked waited and asked again. " _Neville? Can you hear me?"_ he could feel faint glimmerings of something, but Neville did not answer him.

Harry broke eye contact and leaned back against the seat. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He hadn't realized how draining machine talk could be. It wasn't this tiring with Susan or Hannah. "I can almost reach you, Nev." He said. "You have a lot of potential. But it will take a lot of work to bring it out."

Neville winced at the use of 'Nev.' He had always hated it when people shortened his name. But those had always been condescending adults. He had never had someone his own age shorten it before. It didn't feel as silly when Harry said it. He decided to let it go and see if he ended up liking it.

They were once again interrupted when two girls entered the still open door of the compartment. One of them had lovely, shoulder length blonde hair and a sour look on her face. A curly haired brunette dragged her in, sat down as Neville moved over to make room, and pulled the blonde down to sit next to her. "Hi Susan, Hannah." The brunette said cheerfully. "Thanks for making room Neville."

"Hi Tracey, Daphne." Hannah said. "This is our friend Harry." She held up Harry's hand, still enfolded in hers. She wanted to make sure the two girls saw her claim. "Harry, these are Tracey and Daphne. Tracey is the cute fun one, and Daphne is the one pretending to be irritated." Tracey giggled, and Daphne huffed.

"Hi Tracey. Hi Daphne. It's a pleasure to meet you both." Harry said.

"Charmed." Daphne said with a certain hauteur, causing Tracey to giggle a little louder. Daphne glared at the girl, but continued speaking. "We heard Malfoy bragging about how he had intimidated the Boy-Who-Lived. We wanted to find you and ask you not to judge us all by that idiot's atrocious behavior."

"Of course I wouldn't judge you by someone else's actions. But why did you think I would? Oh, and who's Malfoy?"

"Malfoy is the blonde boy who was here earlier. His name is Draco Malfoy." Harry was a little surprised that it was Susan who answered him. She was usually quiet when Hannah was around. She continued to answer his other question as well. "Malfoy will almost certainly be sorted into Slytherin. And Daphne and Tracey probably will be as well."

"Ahh, I see." Harry said. Harry's eyes began to glow softly as he studied the two potential Slytherins. The girls gasped as they felt a bit of awe. Neville studied Harry and pondered what the glow meant and what Harry had meant about potential. Harry leaned back and closed his eyes a bit later. Tracey and Daphne let out breaths they hadn't realized they had been holding.

"I promise I will not hold house affiliation against anyone. I will judge you by your actions and your words." Harry said, his head back and eyes closed. He opened his eyes to look at the girls. They were relieved and surprisingly a little sad to see Harry's eyes had returned to a more normal green. "But whatever house you end up in, you should know that you have the potential. But like Nev, it will take hard work to bring it forward."

"Umm, what?" Tracey said, while Daphne stared questioningly.

"He's been saying stuff like that all day." Hannah said. "We're not sure even he knows what he's saying at times."

They were interrupted again before any of them could think of a response. This time it was the trolley lady with her cart full of sweets. Each of them bought their favorites. Harry, not having much experience with magical treats, bought some of everything. He told himself that while machines didn't need to eat to live, they could certainly indulge themselves from time to time.

The group settled back in the compartment to enjoy their treats. They laughed when Susan's second chocolate frog escaped in an unusually energetic leap. "Just as well." Daphne said. "Too many of those will turn you pudgy." Harry opened his mouth to defend his first friend, but closed it again when Susan didn't feel angry. In fact, he thought Daphne fet amused and clever, but not malicious. Harry felt Hannah's amusement as well when she opined that Daphne's choice would cause her porcelain skin to break out if she wasn't careful. Before he knew it, all four girls were trading quite vicious barbs.

"Nev?" Harry asked, hoping the boy would offer some enlightenment. Neville shrugged, shook his head, and sunk back in his seat to avoid notice. But Harry had reminded the girls that there were others present, and they turned their attention to the two boys. Harry's and Neville's faces reddened in embarrassment and mirth as they were quickly routed after trying to defend themselves.

They spent the rest of the ride relaxed and merry. The conductor's announcement that they would soon arrive at their destination had them scrambling to get into their robes. Then they were exiting the train, and Hagrid was calling them together and guiding them to the boats they would use to cross the lake. Neville was happy to recover his toad from Hagrid, but he was happier to feel like he had some real friends, and Trevor would not be his only companion. Harry sat with Susan, Hannah, and Neville. They were only allowed four to a boat, so Daphne and Tracey sat in the boat next to theirs. Daphne and Tracey were joined by a girl closer in size to Malfoy's goons than to the other girls and by a boy with olive skin tones and lustrous black hair. In the commotion Harry did not get an opportunity to speak to them or learn their names.

The boats were obviously under Hagrid's control, so Harry relaxed and enjoyed the ride. He let his fingers trail in the water and closed his eyes to listen to the sounds of water lapping and children talking. He opened his eyes when Hagrid warned them to duck as they crossed under the ivy covered stonework. He laughed to see the stone passing several feet over his head. Hagrid was the only one who needed to worry about ducking. Then he gasped as the castle came into view. Harry truly enjoyed his first view of Hogwarts. The sheer walls and turrets towered above them. The flickering lights from various windows contrasted nicely with the darkening sky and the glowering dusk. The boats slid smoothly through the water, under the castle, and settled next to the underground docks. Yes, Harry thought, Hogwarts was definitely impressive. He looked at Susan, Hannah, and Neville, and thought how nice it was to have friends with whom he could share the adventure and excitement.


End file.
